We believe graphic design has the intuitive power to communicate with people all over the world. This power is captivating and lifts the heart. The media of graphic design reflects the spirit of the now.

Yamaha has supported various competitions relating to music and motorcycle culture. Now we feel the time is right for us to support the global communication culture of graphic design, helping to discover and identify the next generation of creators through awards and promotion.

THEME

Create a Graphic Form of

KANDO

The Japanese word KANDO (感動) means "for the heart" or "to be deeply moved".
KANDO (感動) is an important Japanese philosophy that Yamaha Music and Yamaha Motor Co. have always embraced.

PRIZE

$ 10,000

JURIES

HEAD OF JURY

Neville Brody

Graphic designer, typographer
and art director.

Initially working in record cover design, Brody made his name largely through his revolutionary work as Art Director for the Face magazine. Other international magazine directions have included City Limits, Lei, Per Lui, Actuel and Arena, together with London's The Observer newspaper and magazine.
Dean of the School of Communication at the Royal College of Art in London.

Yamaha Design Section Panel Member

Manabu Kawada

Design Laboratory General Manager

- Joined Yamaha in 1992.
- Started by designing sports gear and moved on to GUI for various electronic instruments, audio instruments and music production software.
- Studied abroad at RCA (Royal College of Art) in London from 2001.
- After returning to work, he has become a group manager of electronic instrument design, a head of product design centre and was appointed Design Laboratory General Manager at Yamaha (Corporation) Design research laboratory in June, 2008.

Akihiro "Dezi" Nagaya

Chief General Manager of Design Centre
Design Director

- 1983 Joined Toyota Motor Corporation. Participated in various Toyota Lexus designs starting with the original Lexus LS.
- 2003 Lexus Brand Planning General Manager. A contributing member to Lexus Brand-building.
- 2010 Toyota Design General Manager, 2012 President of tecno art research co., ltd.
- 2014 Appointed Chief General Manager of Design Centre at Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

ABOUT

The Graphic Design Award by Yamaha (GDAY) is a global award that looks for new designs of marques, symbols, and pictograms that, in a universal way, promote our 2014 theme of Kando in the truest sense of the word.

"Graphic design is global visual voice"
by Neville Brody

NEWS

30 JAN 2015

“Grand Prize” and “Audience Award” Announcement

11 DEC 2014

Open Review has ended.

02 DEC 2014

Our apologies for the number of "Likes" not being displayed properly on the voting screen. This was due to a temporary bug occurrence.
The accurate numerical number is currently displayed.

20 NOV 2014

Open Review has started.Your vote will be accepted until 10th December 2014.

8 NOV 2014

Entry reception has ended.Open Review will begin in 20th November (Thu) 2014.

28 OCT 2014

Entry reception period has been extended until Friday,7th November 2014.

01 SEP 2014

The Official website for the Graphic Design Award by Yamaha has been released.

01 SEP 2014

New design of Marks, Symbols and Pictograms are now wanted. Entry deadline is 31st October (Fri) 2014.

01 SEP 2014

HOW TO APPLY

•Please send your completed work as digital files within the following specifications.

•Format: All submitted files must be JPEG, at 1,200 x 1,200 pixels or less, and at a maximum resolution of 72dpi. All files must be 2MB or under in size.

•Colour: All files should be RGB, as CMYK might not display correctly in certain browser conditions.

•Please note that the winner of the Graphic Design Award by Yamaha will be asked to submit high-resolution print files once selected. We recommend that you create your work in Illustrator or an equivalent programme ensuring that alternative versions can be output easily.

•Please supply your name, country of residence, contact phone number, contact email address, age, gender, any professional affiliation (such as studio or company name for practicing professions or school, college or university name for students).

•Please note that any personal information or details provided for registration will be used strictly for contacting applicants at the time of the award announcement, and will not be used for marketing purposes or passed on to third parties.

•Multiple entries per person are accepted. However, you will need to provide registration details and new work files for each separate entry. Multiple entries are not permitted within a single application.

•All entries must be the applicant’s own original and previously unpublished work. Submitted work must not be published prior to the announcement of the award.

•Though multiple entries and a multiple linked works are accepted, each work will be evaluated individually. There will be no cross-work evaluation for multiple entries.

•Duplicate entries for other awards or competitions will not be accepted.

•Even though all intellectual property rights or any other rights (including the authority of the right of application and submission) of submitted materials relating to patents, utility models, designs, trademarks and copyrights in all countries and regions worldwide, including work data, originally belong to the applicant, those of the award winners will be transferred to the organiser at the time of the win with regard to the successful completion of this award. The value of copyright transfer will be provided as a supplementary prize by the organiser.

•Applicants shall not exercise a moral right of authorship for competition entry work.

•In case the replication of work is needed during the review process (to publish on official websites etc.), applicants may be requested to provide a competition entry work at no charge.

•In case submitted data includes copyright, neighbouring rights, author’s personal rights, rights of likeness, publicity rights and trademarks which belong to a third party, please ensure that proper procedures are taken, such as obtaining permission prior to the application, at the applicant’s own responsibility and expense to avoid infringement of any third parties' rights.

•The organiser will delete applicant entries, other than that of the award winners, after a certain period of time. Prior individual deletion requests will not be accepted.

•If the information input by applicants includes false or plagiarised content, the application will become invalid.

•Agreement from a legal representative such as parental authority is required at the time of application for minors (persons not of legal age in their own country).

•The award winners’ name, age, background and submitted personal details will be published on the website and other mass media.

•If any arrangement other than the arrangement described on the application is needed, it will be decided by the organiser's judgment.

FAQ

Q

It is stated that submission work data must be the applicant’s original/unpublished work. What would it be in the case of published work?

A

Regardless of past presentation/competition, if the work has been publicly exhibited or brought to the market at any exhibition or website, that will be considered as "Published work" and it will not be eligible for application.

Q

Are there any participation fees?

A

No, entering the competition is free.

Q

Are multiple-linked-works acceptable?

A

Multiple works are acceptable, but each work will be reviewed and evaluated on its own merits. Each work should be submitted independently.

Q

I have trouble submitting the work at the application system.

A

Please check the information below.

・Please check if the file is JPEG format. Any extension other than “.jpg” or “.jpeg” will not be accepted.

・Please check if the file extension is attached at the end of name of the file (file name). (When there is no "xxxx.jpg" extension, it might not be recognized as a file.)

*Please apply early as we anticipate a high-volume of applications close to the application deadline. The organisers cannot be responsible for late entry due to delays in data upload.

Q

Is it possible to apply from smart phones such as iPhone/Android or tablets?

A

It is not recommended to apply from either smartphones or tablets. Please apply via a browser on your personal computer.

Q

Is there any regulation for colour mode or pixel size of the work data?

A

Colour mode is RGB, pixel size is within 1200 X 1200px, resolution is 72 pixels/inch. Also, the file size must be 2MB or less.

Q

Which language is open review executed in?

A

The official award language is English.

Though GDAY respects all world languages and cultures, this is a competition in which worldwide entries are anticipated. It is our job to create a fair environment for everyone by setting an official language in order to simplify and execute smoothly the flow of application and evaluation.

Q

Can I check the status of my work entry?

A

Once your work data is sent through the application system, you will receive an entry confirmation email from our office. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your entry may not have been completed correctly. If there is a mistake in your registered email address, any confirmation email will not arrive. Please make sure your email address is correct at the time of entry.

Q

Is it possible to modify my work after entry?

A

No, modification is not accepted after entry. Please make sure to complete your work first during the application period and apply for the competition.

Q

If no award is granted, will the work data be deleted?

A

All work data other than award-winners’ will be deleted by our office after a certain period of time. Any prior individual delete request will not be accepted.

Q

Is there any chance that work might be published outside as competition entry work even if it did not win a prize?

A

The organiser reserves the right to showcase competition entry work, other than that of the award winners, on our website. In this case, you will be informed of publication.

You will be guided to the entry form by clicking "Agreed" after reading the following "Confirmation of Personal Information Use".
* You will be redirected to Japan Design Net (JDN Inc.), the secure executive office for this event.

Confirmation of Personal Information Use
Personal information provided from applicants will be controlled based on the “Privacy Policy” of Yamaha Corporation or Yamaha Motor Corporation, herein named the “Organiser”. Any personal information acquired through inquiry or application will be used solely for registration of work data, inquiry and award announcement after review, other necessary GDAY matters and announcements for the next event. Personal information will not be provided to third parties without the consent of the person, unless specified by provision of the law.